Bose New QuietComfort Earbuds II, Wireless, Bluetooth, World’s Best Noise Cancelling in-Ear Headphones with Personalized Noise Cancellation & Sound, Eclipse Grey

Man, I thought I’d found the perfect earbuds and am so bummed I have to return these. A little background: I’ve been using v1 of the Airpods Pro for about 2.5 years. One of them flaked out last week so I began searching for a replacement. While I’m well within the Apple universe (MacBook Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPad Pro, etc) I also use Windows quite a bit. In my search I read dozens of reviews on earbuds, and the vast majority of them almost presumptively point Apple users to the Airpods Pro 2. I get it, in theory everything syncs up and works better. But there were things I didn’t like about the Airpods Pro 1 (ANC was mediocre, and particularly bad on a plane; sound quality was meh). So I was actually eager to step outside the Apple box and try something a little more universal. I narrowed my search down to two, and ended up purchasing both the Bose QC II as well as the Airpods Pro 2, with the intent of doing my own use case testing and returning one.

Upon receiving and trying both, it took me less than 30 minutes to decide which to keep: The Bose QC II.
The ANC on the Airpods 2 was very, very good, but the Bose QC II just took it a couple notches better. As I travel on airplanes quite a bit the ANC was very important to me, and like I said my experience with the original Airpods was lacking.

Additionally, after playing a few of my favorite songs with each unit, the Airpods Pro 2 sounded good, but the Bose QC II again came out on top. I’m not an audiophile, but the sound was just richer, with more depth; I heard certain notes in a different way than I ever had with the Airpods.

It was at this point that I decided to send the Airpods back, which I did the following day, ready to begin my new and better audio life with the Bose QC II. Everything started out in a state of bliss. Working out of a home office, I could no longer hear my wife working through her accounting problems via Zoom calls in the other room. (FWIW, I also didn’t hear her when she came up behind me and asked if I wanted something for lunch). I received a call, and though I fumbled a bit with the controls the first time the call quality was fine, and they seemed to be able to hear me OK.

However, the first chink in the armor came just this evening when I tried connecting the Bose QC II to my Windows system in preparation for a call I have tomorrow. Connection via Bluetooth was simple and straightforward. I then went to a news site that I knew had videos and listened. For some reason the sound kept clicking in and out. I thought it might be the connection with the site, so opened Spotify and played a couple of songs. Same issue. I then went to the Bose app on my iPhone, which said it was having trouble connecting, even though it was in fact connected to the PC (albeit a little glitchy).

At the end of the day, this last experience seems consistent with so many of the other reviews that I read up here (thank you), and I just don’t want to be dealing with this again and again (and especially not after I’m past the return window!). I have no interest in going through a tech support call with Bose or them sending a new pair. For $300 plus tax I shouldn’t have to, and these should work more seamlessly. So I’m returning, and I’m not sure what I’m going to replace them with.

A few other observations:

– The controls for pausing, skipping forward, moving back, volume control, etc. work and are intuitive, however a few times I inadvertently paused music when I was just trying to adjust the earpod. This wasn’t the deal killer; I figured in time I’d get used to the sensitivity and figure it out. But it was a little annoying and perhaps some sensitivity adjustments, or more of a haptic-type feel would work better.

– The earbuds themselves fit great out of the box. I didn’t even try the other sizes. They were very comfortable.

– I liked how each time I put the earpods in it told me how much battery was left in each.

– The charging case is slightly larger than the Airpods case, but still very pocketable. I could care less that it doesn’t support wireless charging, just not a big deal to me. The magnet holding the earpods in also seemed a little stronger than Apple’s case, which I really liked because anytime I accidentally dropped the Apple case the earpods would fall out and slide all over the place (wood floors).

In summary, again I really, really wanted these to work out. I was so impressed with the ANC and sound quality, and liked how the bass and treble could be adjusted in the Bose app. It’s just a shame that it had these connection glitches with my computer system. To be clear, I’ve read that Bose customer support is good and fair, but again if I have to call customer support to just to properly use a pair of $300 earbuds then something is wrong.

UPDATE:
So before returning I decided to try one more time with connecting to computer. I shut down all devices (iPad, etc) that were near the computer, to reduce any potential interference. This resolved the issue with the sound breaking out and the earbuds worked fine.

I then shut down the computer and reconnected them to the iPhone. All good. However, when I rebooted the computer I somehow lost the connection with the iPhone, and what I was listening to stopped playing. I then looked at the Bose app and it was somewhere in no man’s land, searching for a connection with the earbuds. Only a reboot of the phone got the app out of this mode, and allowed me to reconnect.

So… this takes me back to my original point: These are among THE MOST EXPENSIVE earbuds on the market right now. I’m the consumer and it’s not my job, nor interest, to troubleshoot problems and jump through hoops to figure out what’s going on. That should have happened at in the Bose QC department, but from my brief experience combined with all the reviews I’ve read, it seems like something slipped past them.

Thank you and God bless.

New review on 07-July-2023, on 2nd month of usage, coincidentally on the same date of delivery.

These earbuds have become like my second set of ears. The initial slight discomfort while using for long hours has disappeared. Have made me at peace with the noisy surrounding. Listening podcasts in Spotify with high-definition audio while earbuds ANC suppressing maximum outside noise makes feels like the podcaster sitting next to me narrating. That’s an altogether fabulous new experience. Needless to say about listening to music. Just mesmerizing. (Phone and computer have 24bit/192 KHz studio quality audio) Really audio input quality matters. Had tweaked the equalizer in playback devices and Bose app to get desired sound. Most TV channels in India has compressed audio. So, the listening experience is average, obviously. It took a while to get used to the earbuds. Once done, that’s a different story. Thank you Bose.

Previous review ————————–

Bought this just for Active noise cancellation as our neighbours are super noisy crackers who are from some other planet X. See I have to shell out Rs. 26,000 for their atrocities.

and Bose quiet comfort earbuds proved to be the handy solution. It worked its magic by blocking 80 – 90% of all sound blastings, including those from big speakers and horns.

I choose this by rejecting apple’s and I am happy with the choice.

Paid big money for the product, but the quietness received in turn in priceless.

ANC: Superb after the immediate firmware auto update but still have to improve – 4 stars

Sound: Big & clear. Amazing – 4 stars (Quality depends on the audio quality in the Bluetooth transmission. Certain mobiles don’t have high resolution Bluetooth audio)

Comfort: Fine for wearing for more than 2 hours at a stretch. Need tight air seal for max ANC. So, its not so super comfortable, naturally. – 3 stars

Connectivity: Ear buds connect quick every time to mobile phone, but not the companion Bose app. And that’s not a problem (for me) – 3 stars

Mic: Have to speak somewhat louder – 3 stars

Touch controls: Need to get used to, but seems okay – 3 stars

Active usable time: As they said, around 4 hours (ANC – all time) – 4 stars

Battery charge speed: Good

Easy to use: Yes. (Use the correct size stability support rubber clip provided or the expensive bud goes to the ground. Speaker magnet gets weaker. Bose kept No.1 stability clip on the bud and that size is small for adults. First thing, that clip has to be changed for the tight fit of ear)

What I enjoy the most: ANC & listening to occasional music even while there is ear deafening noise outside.

Final word: If ANC is your primary concern, BOSE is like a BOSS.

Recensioni dicevano che degli auricolari in-ear non possono isolare quanto delle cuffie over-ear. Beh, io credo che se non lo fanno tanto quanto, poco ci manca. Il mio termine di paragone sono le cuffie over-ear Bose QuietComfort 45 che ho preso un paio di mesi fa, ma volevo provare dei dispositivi meno ingombranti come gli auricolari per quando mi distendo sul letto o per magari utilizzarli fuori.
Le cuffie over-ear certo hanno un addizionale isolamento passivo dato dalle coppe, ma il livello di isolamento di questi auricolari in-ear è ottimo. Un po’ di fruscio di fondo, come un leggero rumore bianco, è comunque sempre presente (quando non sono in riproduzione), e un po’ tende a dare fastidio, ma neanche tanto. Le uso da appena qualche ora, sono ancora in fase di testing primo utilizzo, mi riservo di rimodulare eventualmente questa valutazione. Credo comunque che un po’ di leggero rumore bianco di fondo è inevitabile in un dispositivo con cancellazione attiva del rumore. In fondo anche nelle cuffie over-ear è presente, solo lì la presenza della coppa lo rende un po’ più “ampio” fisicamente proprio (canale auricolare più tutto l’interno della coppa, anziché solo canale auricolare), così ci si fa meno caso, o forse mi sto facendo influenzare da una recensione che evidenziava questo aspetto di questi auricolari, e mi sto focalizzando troppo su questa cosa. Confido ci si faccia nel tempo l’abitudine, solo il tempo potrà dirci di più.
In riproduzione comunque non si percepisce neanche minimamente.
In questo momento mi ritrovo anche un altro paio di auricolari in-ear con ANC, di altra marca, che costano meno della metà, discreti. Posso dire che quelli qualche rumore di fondo lo lasciano sentire, soprattutto quelli un po’ più alti in frequenza. Questi isolano decisamente meglio.
Non si può spegnere l’ANC, solo eventualmente lasciar passare il 10, 20, 30… fino al 100% dei suoni (e di conseguenza isolare il 90, 80, 70… fino allo 0% ovvero sentire i suoni ambientali), cosa che le QC45 non fanno. Questa funzionalità magari può tornare utile, per rendersi parzialmente isolati e sentire per esempio il rumore dei motori, le chiacchiere, ecc.
Gli auricolari non si possono spegnere, quindi decidere di usare per esempio l’isolamento passivo, o anche ascoltare la musica la sera senza ANC potrebbe tornare utile, quando all’esterno non ci sono molti rumori ambientali e si potrebbe quindi evitare quel leggero fruscio bianco che generano. Ancora non so come si comportano la sera, magari ne generano meno. Altri auricolari in cui si può spegnere l’ANC per esempio possono risultare più riposanti quando per un po’ si vuole spegnere l’ANC e usare solo l’isolamento passivo. Cosa che farebbe anche risparmiare un po’ di batteria. Devo dire però che così è più semplice e si evita lo sbattimento di spegnere e accendere l’ANC all’occorrenza. Non si può fare e il “problema” neanche si pone: un pensiero in meno. Sono così pensati infatti per essere facili da usare, e soprattutto confortevoli, quasi ci si dimentica di averli, sono leggerissimi. A differenza di altri auricolari che magari occludono maggiormente, e possono risultare fastidiosi da tenere su per molto tempo. E mentre scrivo torno a fare caso a quel leggero fruscio che beh se uno ci fa caso è fastidioso, consiglio anche a me stesso di non farci neanche caso: il prezzo da pagare per evitare di sentire i fastidiosissimi rumori di fondo costanti della fabbrica che mi ritrovo a lato! E quelli pare vengono completamente annullati. Qualche compromesso bisogna pur accettarlo nella vita.
Mi sento di promuovere questi auricolari con 4/5 stelline, giusto perché li paragono con le cuffie over-ear che forse offrono un maggior isolamento, ma ho voluto la praticità degli auricolari? E mo’ me li tengo. Devo ancora decidere se ritornare quegli altri che avevo preso o utilizzarli da battaglia. Questi, al di là di tutte le considerazioni, li ritengo degli ottimi auricolari, e sono eletti come i miei auricolari principali.
Il suono della musica è ottimo, bassi presenti, anche potenti, e volume alto, tanto che in questo momento li sto ascoltando al 50%, a casa, in un ambiente discretamente silenzioso, escludendo quei fastidiosissimi rumori di fondo a bassa frequenza che sono uno dei motivi per cui ho intenzione di cambiare casa, ma questo è un altro discorso.

Alors j’ai presque tout essayé de ce qui se faisait de récent en terme d’écouteurs sans fil… Ces Bose sont à mon sens un très bon choix, avec toutefois quelques défauts qui pourraient être facilement gommés.
D’abord les quelques atouts indéniables :

– la réduction de bruit est impressionnante
Vraiment efficace, grosso modo du même niveau que les Apple Airpods Pro … Loin devant les autres que j’ai pu essayer (Sehnheiser Momentum 3, Jabra Elite 7 pro …)
Le mode transparent est pas mal du tout aussi, malgré un léger bruit de fond. Mais c’est tout à fait utilisable et on peut du coup garder les écouteurs à peu près tout le temps en changeant de mode

– le confort
C’est assez personnel bien sûr, mais je n’aime pas du tout la sensation des intra qui vous rentrent profondément dans le canal de l’oreille. Je trouve la sensation désagréable, et elle produit en plus des résonances dans la boîte crânienne quand on court ou quand on mastique etc. Ces écouteurs ont un double système de tenue qui les rend extrêmement agréables et légers à porter. C’est comme des écouteurs semi ouverts, mais qui isolement quand même de manière étanche. Pour moi c’est parfait, et je n’ai jamais trouvé quoi que ce soit de plus confortable. C’est aussi suffisamment sécure pour courir ou faire du sport.

Le son
Je ne suis pas audiophile mais il m’a semblé que tout était plutôt bien restitué. J’écoute un peu de tout, les basses sont bien, les voix sont claires … Il y a un petit équalizer minimaliste. Pour moi tout à fait satisfaisant. La bonne tenue des écouteurs participe à un rendu profond et immersif. En ce qui concerne les appels téléphoniques, c’est pas ouf mais ça fait le job, même dans des situations plus difficiles comme un environnement bruyant ou en courant… Je n’ai jamais eu de véritable problème, sauf à vélo ou il y a trop de vent.

Ce qui est à revoir :
– l’appli est un peu capricieuse (ça s’est finalement réglé avec une MàJ) mais surtout elle pourrait proposer davantage de réglages. D’une manière générale Bose se charge de tout doser, notamment avec le mode Active sens qui laisse passer un peu, mais gomme les trop grosses perturbations. C’est pas trop mal j’avoue, mais je préférerais avoir la main sur tous les aspects de la réduction de bruit, comme par exemple une gestion manuelle de la réduction de vent. En l’état c’est pas trop mal quand on marche ou quand on court, mais à vélo ou par grand vent c’est nettement moins bien.

– un signal sonore pour confirmer les commandes serait vraiment le bienvenu. Il y a ça sur les Sennheiser par exemple et ça change tout : le tactile n’est plus jamais un problème car on sait si la commande a été enregistrée ou non. Ici en l’état c’est pas trop mal mais sans confirmation sonore il y a quand même quelques ratés. Pas dur à faire … Je l’ai signalé à Bose.

– Le boîtier de recharge
Il est nettement trop gros, un peu cheap, et les écouteurs ne sont pas évidents à sortir. Ils feraient bien de s’inspirer d’Apple sur ce coup. Pas de recharge sans fil non plus alors qu’elle était proposée sur le modèle précédent.

– Pas de connexion multipoint. Ca peut se régler via une MàJ sans doute … C’est tout de même pratique.

[Comprado a 209,99€]

Después de unos meses usándolo, mis impresiones son las siguientes:
Lo compré por la cancelación de sonido, después de informarme sobre las alternativas como los Airpods Pro, Sennheiser Momentum y Sony WF-1000XM5.
Sin duda cumplen lo que prometen. Si nunca has usado ANC, no esperes que sea igual al silencio absoluto. Rebaja el sonido (especialmente determinadas frecuencias, como un aire acondicionado o un ventilador de PC), y si además le añades música, prácticamente no oyes a tu alrededor. Pero obviamente, habrá sonidos que seguirás oyendo, aunque rebajados. Si tus vecinos de arriba están de obras, lo notarás, pero bastante menos, por ejemplo.

ANC es también útil para evitar tener que elevar el volumen de tu música. Si no se oye sonido de ambiente, no necesitas que esté tan alta, evitándote problemas de oído.

En cuanto al sonido, pues no es de grado audiófilo, pero la mayoría de gente no lo notará. El micrófono es bastante decente, aunque he notado que con aire, se hace difícil entenderte.

La batería dura unas 5-6h, mientras se usa la cancelación de sonido. He probado otros auriculares que aumentan la duración de la batería desactivando el ANC, pero en estos no es posible desactivarla (sí reducirla), lo cual me parece un poco extraño.

Al quitarte un auricular, se detiene la música y el otro auricular se pone en “modo micrófono”/passtrough, escuchando tu alrededor. Muy útil si alguien te está hablando, no necesitando quitarte ambos auriculares.
También puedes poner ese modo al pulsar el auricular durante 3 segundos.

Hablando del control táctil, es configurable con la APP. Por defecto, ambos auriculares funcionan igual: Mantener pulsado 1 segundo para detener/reproducir, dos pulsaciones para siguiente canción, tres pulsaciones para anterior, mantener pulsado 3 segundos para cambiar de modo. Los modos también son configurables en la aplicación.

Por esa aplicación he tenido uno de los pocos fallos que los auriculares me han dado: A veces, al actualizarse los auriculares (cosa que ocurre sin pedir permiso), no se escuchaba nada por ellos. Ello no se solucionaba reemparejándolos, ni cambiando de dispositivo. Tuve que desinstalar la APP y volverla a instalar. Para que te evites volver loco como lo hice yo, fíjate si tienes la APP, y si está actualizando, si dejas de escuchar sonido a pesar de que los auriculares están conectados.

Otro de los problemas que he tenido es que a veces los controles táctiles no respondían al usar Spotify en el teléfono, cosa que se solucionaba volviendo a emparejarlos.

Por último, el estuche es cómodo en el bolsillo al no tener esquinas angulosas ni formas extrañas, ligero -aunque abulta un poco-. Meter los auriculares es muy sencillo, pero sacarlos a veces resulta difícil. Como queja, que no tengan carga inalámbrica, a pesar de ser unos auriculares de gama alta.

Edito: Si te ocurre que los auriculares se conectan al teléfono, pero no oyes nada, a pesar de reemparejar, es posible que la aplicación Bose esté actualizándolos y a pesar de estar encendidos, no emitir ruido. O bien espera, o bien borra la aplicación de Bose. Me ocurrió a mí y me volví loco reemparejándolos.